Breaking the Chain
by Sakura's Sonata
Summary: Because the links should have never connected in the first place. A bitter Repliku’s desperate attempt to make sense of it all. Riku Replica oneshot. Major CoM spoilers. My first fanfic please review! Rated T for mild language and safety.


**Breaking the Chain**

By: Sakura's Sonata

Because the links should have never connected in the first place. A bitter Repliku's desperate attempt to make sense of it all. Riku Replica one-shot. Major CoM spoilers. My first fanfic - please review!

A/N: Hello! Thanks for checking out this story! Please read and honestly review. Criticism is welcome, but no flames.

Disclaimer: The characters and plot in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories are not mine, just this story based directly off the game. I am not being paid to write this. The KH series belongs to Square Enix and Disney. But if it was mine...evil smile

Hard blue eyes stared off into the distance. The everlasting dusk calmed most people, especially from his high perch atop the clock tower, but he was not here for the breathtaking scenery. Simply being away from that Light-damned Organization opened his mind, allowing him to think clearly for once.

Fragments of a torn memory fell, piece by piece, before his mind's eye...

_Laughter rang out from the endless sapphire sea. His short, silver hair brushed against his face, matted and wet, as he turned toward his closest friend. "What's wrong? Chicken?" he called, swimming away from the shore._

"_Am not!!" The spiky-haired boy splashed after him, determined to prove himself this time. _

As if Sora really had a chance.

_Meanwhile, a little girl sat alone on the sand. _

"_Hey!" he called. "Come on in!"_

"_I'm fine!" This girl was unbelievable. Two whole weeks living on the Destiny Islands, yet she refused to even step into the water. _

"_Aw, the water's not THAT bad!" came Sora's yell._

_He and Sora swam to shore and walked up to the small, fragile girl. If she wasn't coming to them, they would simply have to come to her. _

How true that has been, came a bitter thought. We were always drawn to her, weren't we, Sora?

"_Whatcha up to, Namine?" Once again, he beat Sora to the question._

"_Hm?" The blonde looked up. "Oh, just this." With that, she showed them both her sketch..._

A stunning sketch of himself and Sora playing tag in the water. It seemed so lifelike, so vivid, even now. A smile crept onto his face. The irony almost outweighed the happy "memory". Almost.

Friendship quickly bloomed into intense rivalry. The smile dimmed.

"_I'm the one who's meant to protect Namine, not you. But you and your damn 'memories' keep getting in my way!" The Soul Eater appeared in a flare of dark energy, beckoned by sheer rage, as the predator closed in on the prey._

The dark being's fists clenched as he looked down, silver hair swaying with the breeze. Foolishness.

_Now was the time. Sora lay at his feet. Namine stood a short distance away. Riku glared at his former friend. How Namine must loathe this confused Keyblade Master, clinging to promises which never existed. Didn't he understand? It was Riku who swore to protect Namine so long ago. It was Riku who kept her original good luck charm. And it was Riku who stood by her side when she was taken hostage. Where was Sora when Namine cried? Where was Sora when Marluxia threatened to beat the poor girl into oblivion? Nowhere, yet here was the Keyblade Master himself, wanting to help the same girl he abandoned. _

_Riku could never stand watching Namine suffer. This madness would end here!_

_But even as the swordsman started moving in for the kill..._

"_NO!!!!!"_

_Life as he knew it crumbled within one tiny moment. His knees buckled, and he sunk into darkness as shards of a broken memory echoed off the white marble floor. _

Lies. His body, his memories, his existence, his name - nothing but lies. His frail, sweet angel proved herself to be a competent witch, able to switch and duplicate memories at whim, and the Graceful Assassin used her to place false memories into both his and Sora's mind. Sora, Namine, and "Riku" became simple puppets in Marluxia's game. Where was the point in this "Riku's" worthless existence?

"_Wait!"_

Like a horrible train wreck, the memories continued to flow, unwanted and despised, through "Riku's" mind.

_Marluxia was dead, Namine was safe, and he was very much aware that he was nothing more than a pawn. Why should he stop walking away? In spite of his rage, his stride ground to a halt as Sora continued._

"_Who cares if you're a copy? I know, those memories aren't yours, but those feelings are yours and yours alone. They're special!"_

A hollow laugh escaped "Riku's" lips. Him? Special? Dream on, he thought. Sora had always been kind-hearted, but he was too naive for his own good. A clone could never grasp his own existence, unless...

Suddenly, "Riku" sighted his latest prey: a boy with shoulder-length silver hair with a handsome build and sky blue eyes, the real Riku, wandering through the shady town, seeming to look for something important and nothing in particular at the same time. "Riku" could not help but wonder. Who was this guy? Had he managed to tame and wield the darkness, or was he trying to escape from its deadly grip?

The elegant Soul Eater appeared in "Riku's" hands as he stood and gazed down at the real thing.

At last, he understood Sora's words. He was himself, but he would always exist in Riku's shadow. He would never have a name or a single skill to call his own. His grip on the blade tightened until he was sure his knuckles turned white. Without any individuality, life is meaningless, he thought. In order to truly live, only one option was available.

The shadow tracked Riku's movements for a few more minutes then leapt off the tower, landing catlike on the cobblestone path below. Sight set on his prey, he wove his way through the crowd toward the old mansion, sky blue eyes shining with determination. He would overcome this futile existence or die trying. The Soul Eater glowed an eerie midnight blue, filled with bloodlust for its next victim.

Phew! That's it! I didn't expect it to be this dark, but I guess I was just on a roll. And, yes, I've always felt sorry for poor Repliku. The Organization tore his life to shreds. Anyways, REVIEW PLEASE!!!! CRITICISM IS WELCOME!!!...Just, please, don't flame. This is my first completed fanfic.

Sakura


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